The Beating Echoes
by LoststarofShadow
Summary: There are four clans in the forest, and each of them specializes an important skill to survive. After many seasons of rest, the clans are strong and happy, until a weakness of all the clans hits them, making them suffer and starve. Nimbleheart, a regular warrior in the clans, has the duty to stop the hardships. Will Nimbleheart make everything back to normal ever again?


_Prolouge~_

_Sunstar padded through the clouds, his bright green eyes looking around carefully. He noticed with shock that several pieces of the clouds were tearing apart from each other. The misty fog covered up the gaps, to make an illusion. A large cloud appeared in front of Sunstar and started to brightened up with colors. "Sandstorm?" Sunstar gasped, seeing the warrior padding through the forest. The young tabby didn't seem to be happy, but she was definatley furious. Her claws were unseathed and teared at the dry dirt. Sunstar frowned seeing this happen. " The Thunderclan hunting grounds aren't at all dry, but damp... nor Windclan and Riverclan..." he thought outloud. His heart thuddered, and swallowed slowly. " Is Sandstorm in love with a Shadowclan cat?" _

Leader: Bluestar

Debuty: Tigerclaw

Medicine Cat: Yellowfang

Warriors:

Whitetstorm

APPRENTICE: Brightpaw

Darkstripe

Longtail

APPRENTICE: Swiftpaw

Runningwind

Willowpelt

Mousefur

APPRENTICE: Thornpaw

Fireheart

APPRENTICE: Cloudpaw

Cinderpelt

Graystripe

Dustpelt

Sandstorm

Brackenfur

Appentices:

Brightpaw

Swiftpaw

Thornpaw

Cloudpaw

Queens:

Frostfur

Brindleface

Goldenflower

Speckletail

Elders:

Halftail

Smallear

Patchpelt

One-eye

Dappletail

Brokentail

1~ My Dream

_Cinderpelt was standing in a long, gloomy hallway. Her baby blue eyes looked around nervously, thinking an attack would come any moment. She swallowed slowly, then started walking around feeling the clumpy dirt under her paws. She paused, then noticed angry pale green eyes glaring at her through the shadows. The cat jumped out hissing, and fur bristling. Cinderpelt could make out the she-cat now. "S-Sandstorm!?" Cinderpelt mewed shakily. " Yes foxheart! Can't you see my beautiful ginger pelt?" she spat. Cinderpelt shook her head, and shivered. " How are you in my dream?" Cinderpelt mewed quietly. " Don't you know? I'm training in the Dark Forest now! The dark trees around here is MY territory! I should be asking you that question!" Sandstorm yowled. Cinderpelt backed away slowly. " Why are you training here? This is an evil place!" the gray she-cat protested. " No... this is a place full of victory, bravery. The place where only the strong ones survive. I train here to get juicy revenge on your puny little soul Cinderpelt! It's all your fault Fireheart doesn't love me anymore!" Sandstorm snarled angrily. " We used to be so close, but now it seems like we have never known each other!" Cinderpelt shut her eyes tightly, then opened them again. Sandstorm was still glaring at her through slits. " I promise you, will NEVER get your paws on him. Only mine will touch his sleek, warm fur that rightfully belong to me." she hissed, then ran off through the dark, misty area._

" Cinderpelt! Patrol!" Fireheart mewed, nudging Cinderpelt with his soft paws. " I only slept for a tiny bit! Can't I sleep longer?" Cinderpelt complained, rolling back on her side. Fireheart rolled his eyes, then lay down next to her, pressing his flank against hers. " I'll be with you..." he murmured into her ear. Cinderpelt received goosebumps on her paws. " Stop trying so hard!" she purred, batting his ear playfully. Fireheart grinned, then pulled her up to her paws. " Come, before Tigerclaw will eat you for dinner!" he joked. " I surrender!" the gray she-cat said, falling down on her paws. Fireheart let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. The two cats walked side to side into the forest for their patrol. When they reached the training hollow, he stopped. Confused, Cinderpelt cocked her head. Fireheart stared deeply into Cinderpelt's blue eyes. She shivered. " There wasn't a patrol... I wanted something different." He admitted, stepping towards her. Before Cinderpelt could say 'Mouse' Fireheart jumped on her behind and started bouncing wildly. Cinderpelt let out a moan for him to keep going. He purred and shook more wildly than ever. He licked her neck, then nipped at her fur. Cinderpelt giggled. Suddenly a hurt cry sounded through the bushes. " How COULD you Fireheart?" Sandstorm cried, running away from him. " Sandstorm!" Fireheart mewed, shocked. He stopped mating with Cinderpelt, and ran after Sandstorm. Cinderpelt hised angrily, then groomed her tail that was full of Fireheart's juices. When her fur was all cleaned up, she returned to camp. Brackenfur ran toards her, his eyes glittering. " How did your patrol go?" he asked, then scrunched up his nose. " Why do you smell like Fireheart covered in foxdung?" he asked. She shrugged and ignored the question. Cinderpelt decided to grab a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, but something blocked her path. " Your NOT going to steal prey from my clan!" Sandstorm hissed. " Oh... Sandstorm! Didn't see you there.." Cinderpelt chuckled half-heartedly. The ginger she-cat glared at Cinderpelt. " He's mine." Sandstorm reminded her, then walked away to Dustpelt that was awaiting her. Sandstorm whispered something into his ear, and Dustpelt grudgingly nodded. Cinderpelt caught the words 'mating' and 'moonhigh'. She shivered, then grabbed the mouse in her jaws and went to look for Fireheart. She spotted him with Bluestar, and padded up to them. " I see she is here now, I will go." Bluestar mewed, giving Cinderpelt a hard glance before leaving them alone. " What was that all about?" Cinderpelt asked Fireheart, as she took a bite of the fresh-kill. He shrugged. " She was just telling me about a dream..." Cinderpelt pricked her ears. " About what?" she pressed. " Well... Fire was blazing around the campsite, then a mumur said 'Fire alone will save our clan' " he told her. " She thinks it's a prophecy... right?" Fireheart nodded, licking his paws gently from the mouse blood. Bones remained in front of Cinderpelt. She quickly dug them up, and smiled. " Shall we go on a real patrol now?"

XxXxXxX

Cinderpelt went into her nest with Fireheart quietly. It was moonhigh, and they would get in big trouble if Bluestar would find out abut them sneaking off. Fireheart lay down in the back corner of the den, and Cinderpelt followed. He tugged off some moss from other cats' nests and started putting theirs together. When he was done, he beckoned her to go first. She lay down in the warm, fuzzy moss and closed her eyelids gently. Fireheart lay down next to her, his breath warming her neck. She smiled and purred, eyes glittering. She felt his breath slowing down into sleep, then his shoulders slump. Cinderpelt relaxed and loosed her back a bit. " Get up Cinderpelt..." a soft voice echoed. Cinderpelt looked up. " Dustpelt? Why are you here?" she asked a bit puzzled. He smiled, and nuzzled her muzzle. " All in time... anyways, get up." he said. Cinderpelt heaved up to her paws delcatley. "Come with me." Dustpelt mewed softly, his bushy dark tail leading her into the forest. He halted by a grassy area full of moonlight. He started licking her ear affectionatley, then her neck. Cinderpelt pushed away. " Stop it! You have Sandstorm to think about!" she hissed. Dustpelt shook his head. " Sandstorm is just a she-cat pleading for any cat to mate with her. You however, are calm and pretty." he told her, his amber eyes locking hers. " And besides... I love you!" he smiled dazely. " You can't love me! I'm already seeing Fireheart!" Cinderpelt protested, blue eyes full of shock. " Too late!" snarled Dustpelt sinking into her core. She hissed softly, not wanting to admitt it felt good. She tried to push away, but Dustpelt had a strong grip on her, firm in fact. When he stopped, a chilling wind hit the roof of her mouth. Dustpelt licked her flank. " You will have wonderful kits... my kits." he mused. Cinderpelt swallowed down her shock and ran away to the warrior's den, where Fireheart was staring at her suspiciously. " You smell like Dustpelt." he decided, lashing his tail. " It's not what you think- I know! You mated with that foxheart! I'm not good enough am I? Just becuase he has clan blood right?" he challenged. " No! He forced me to do it!"Cinderpelt cried, burring her muzzle deep into his firey fur. Fireheart shook her away, then when that didn't work pushed harder with his paw. Cinderpelt flinched. " This won't work... your too young. You change your mind too fast." he meowed clodly, his green eyes glaring at her. " I don't want to see you again. Go sleep with Dustpelt for a change!" he hissed, ears flattening. Cinderpelt hung her head and went into Yellowfang's den. Cinderpelt saw the medicine cat snoring loudly, teeth bared. " Yellowfang? Yelowfang!" she called. Yelowfang pricked her ears then opened her milky, yellow eyes. She blinked tiredly. " What is it youngster?" she rasped. " Need advice from a traitor?" Cinderpelt gasped. " How...?" Yellowfang flicked her tail. " It doesn't matter! Now get to the point!" she spat, her temper getting the better of her. " Alright so..." Cinderpelt explained the situation. Yellowfang nodded. " I suggest battleing Dustpelt in front of Fireheart. That way, he will understand.." Cinderpelt dipped her head in thanks, then exited Yellowfang's den. Cinderpelt entered the warrior's den and slept alone, neither by Fireheart or Dustpelt.

XxXxXxX

Cinderpelt woke up to Brackenpaw's light nudge on her shoulder. She noticed it was dawn, the sun shining brightly against the roofs of the treetops. " Cinderpelt wake up! Yellowfang wants a word with you!" he mewed. She nodded, and stood up, shaking the sleepiness out of her head. " I must start waking early." she muttered, walking into Yellowfang's den. Her eyes widened as she saw Sandstorm laying shakily on a moss bed, hind leg injured. " Yellowfang! What happened!" Cinderpelt demanded her eyes glittering with worry. Yellowfang shook her head sorrowfully. " The young she-cat couldn't control her temper... she ran off and tripped onto the thunderpath. Thank Starclan cats were patrolling the Shadowclan border!" she rasped. Cinderpelt saw that Sandstorm's leg was very stiff and swollen. "Is there any herb to treat this?" Cinderpelt asked. Yellowfang shook her head briefly. " No." she whispered ever so softly, that Sandstorm couldn't here. "I'm afraid... Sandstorm can't be warrior." she admitted. " What!?" Cinderpelt mewed with pure shock. " She HAS to be!" she protested angrily. " She would make a great warrior! Her hunting skills are amazing, fighting perfect! What tom wouldn't want a she-cat like that?" Cinderpelt questioned the old medicine cat. Yellowfang shrugged softly. "I will take Sandstorm as my apprentice, she learns quickly and already has so much put into her brain! It would be such a shame to throw that all that away..." Yellowfang murmured. Sandstorm pricked her ears, then narrowed her eyes when she saw Cinderpelt. " Why are you here mouseheart? Go back to your precious Fireheart! He'll show you your path!" she spat. The words stung Cinderpelt like a dozen thorns. She swallowed her retort, and smiled at Sandstorm. " Do you want me to grab you a mouse from the fresh-kill pile? You must be hungry..." Sandstorm hissed at the words. " Why are YOU offering me this? I am strong enough to get it myself!" Yellowfang pressed Sandstorm down, when she tried to get up. " Sandstorm, you must rest." Yellowfang insisted flicking her tail. " Cinderpelt, fetch her that mouse. NOW." Cinderpelt nodded and scampered off to the pile, picking up the juiciest mouse she could find. A firey ginger pelt appeared by her side. " That's for me?" he asked. Cinderpelt shook her head. " No, for Sandstorm." she mewed, picking up the mouse quickly and trying to avoid the handsome tom. She dropped the mouse at Sandstorm's paws. Sandstorm stared at her blankley, and ate the mouse bitterly. Cinderpelt glanced at Yellowfang puzzled. ' I told her.' Yellowfang mouthed. Cinderpelt swallowed hardly, and rested her tail tip on Sandstorm's shoulder. "Get away from me foxhearted mousedung!" Sandstorm wailed. Cinderpelt backed away hurt. Sandstorm teared up and shut her eyes tightly. " Why did this happen to me? If Starclan was watching over me, none of this would happen!" she cried. " I hate myself!"

XxXxXxX


End file.
